Arranged To The Alpha
Chapter 83

Natalia:

I had to fight back turning around as I heard the pain and anguish that those who didn’t pass went through as they were killed by whatever shit Drake- had set for them.

My heart raced against my chest, and Blake’s arm wrapped around me was the only thing that told me that the two of us were alive and made it out.

Jaiden’s, I couldn’t even call him father anymore, words played in my head about him telling me to allow my powers to guide themselves. I had to work on instinct depending on the situation, and that was what I was doing. Thankfully, so far, it was working fine for me.

However, I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case through the rest of the challenges that we were going to go through. Mostly because I currently didn’t trust myself enough to know whether or not I could rely on them.

The Land of Flame was suddenly carved with fire on the floor in front of us, and I frowned before taking a step back alongside my mate.

“This should be easy,” Riya said, reminding us that she was made of fire. The woman didn’t know what she was getting herself into, and whether or not she survived this didn’t mean that she would be able to survive what came afterwards. Plus, there was also the fact that she would need to survive my own anger when things started clearing out

I still couldn’t forget the fact that she was initially assigned to kill my dragon, thus killing me. And yet, she was looking me in the eye, speaking to me as if she wanted to side with me. And that was something that I couldn’t drop or let go of.

“The demon chose to speak,” Valeria said, shaking her head at her. “Do you really believe that they would make an easy challenge?”

“You seem to be forgetting, darling, that I am made of fire.” She said, taking a step forward. The ground beneath her feet crumbled, and my eyes widened in surprise at the stone path that formed in front of us. Lava and flames swam beneath us and my heart raced against my chest as other two paths were formed. One, was a thin line of stone that took you directly toward the exit. Under it were what looked like demonic hands that would rise and grab the stone, attempting to grab anyone who was walking on them before they sank down into the lava. The other was what looked like floating stone tables. Only, they were nowhere near stable and one would have to jump from one to the other in an attempt to reach the exit. The final one was a rope that hung in the air. I could assume that those who chose that path would need to use their hands to get past. The rope was made of flaming coal that buned the hands, and I could tell that the sharpness of it would cut the hand of whoever tried taking it.

I looked at Blake who shook his head as the two of us tried thinking of the path that we were to take.

The thing was, neither one of them was easy, and the fact that one mistake could not only be fatal in terms of being pulled into the fire, but could also lead to injuries that we did not want to deal with right now.

looked up at the podium where Drake and Myla took a step forward in front of the crowd, as if introducing the path that was ahead of us. Our faces could be seen on the screen in front of the people who either cheered to those they were supporting or booed at those who they didn’t like. I took a deep breath, and it wasn’t until the clock appeared in front of us, timing fifteen minutes, that I realized that the bastard was also limiting us with a tight timeframe.

“We are going to have to take one of the paths.

Even if I want to form one, I don’t know the risk of it.” I said, looking at Blake who nodded. I could only do too much, and that was something that he knew. The fear that consumed me was one that I haven’t felt in a long time. But I knew that if we were dealing with this, then we were strong enough to do so, however, where it was going to end, now that was something that I didn’t have the answer to.

I looked at the elves, those who survived at least, now there were five of them left, and the vamnpires as they started taking the line. Riya and Ariana took the rope and that was something that confused me, but I kept in mind that Riya could do so without being burned or cut.

The one free path that was left was the swarming balls, and I knew that it would take the two of us more balance than we had to get past them. “We are going to need to control these, though how, I am not sure.”

“What do you mean?” Blake asked, frowning in confusion as he tried studying my expression, wanting to understand what I was referring to. The thing was, I didn’t know whether or not it would work to begin with. I just knew that something hàd to be done and that this was the only way that we were going to manage doing it. The rest of the ways out were already filled, and I doubted that anyone would let us cross anything if we tried to; therefore, we were stuck with this chance. Plus, I doubted that Drake would allow us to pass without using his paths. Riya would have tried doing so if it were possible.

“Come on,” I said, looking at the clock. We already had eight minutes to go, and the last thing that I needed right now was to end up with a mess that we wouldn’t want to deal with, plus, it wasn’t like we could handle one to begin with right now.

Blake squeezed my hand and I smiled at his gentle gesture before the two of us jumped on the first stone that moved toward the ledge. My heart raced against my chest as it moved under our weight, but the two of us were sure not to panic as I forced myself to focus on stabilizing it.

Gasps could be heard from the audience that were watching, and looking at the clock, my heart raced as I realized that we had seven minutes left. I took a deep breath and nodded before moving the stones, creating a more stable bridge for Blake and I to take. His eyes met mine and I nodded before looking down at the lava. I smiled and slowly, while keeping my hand wrapped around my mate’s, got down on my knee and touched the stone that we were standing on top of.

The lava rose a bit, but I closed my eyes, focusing on wanting to cool it down to turn it into volcanic stones. The screams of those who were on the other paths filled my ears, but I focused on creating the bridge that I wanted, raising the lava enough before freezing it, making sure that it held the stones still.

Blake kept his eyes on me, smiling proudly as he stayed on his knee beside me. Six minutes were left, and that was something that I knew, but I needed to ensure that we were safe before crossing anything.

The bridge formed, and both Blake and I rose to our feet before he cupped my cheeks and kissed me. His k**s was gentle and not rushed before he smirked and nodded at me. I frowned in confusion, but he quickly took his shirt off and my eyes widened in surprise before creating a barrier that secluded him from everyone. The man was stripping publicly, but this wasn’t the pack for him to do so.

He handed me his clothes before shifting into a wolf and I shook my head before holding his clothes to my chest as he rubbed himself on my right leg, motioning for me to get on top of him.

I did as told and gripped his fur, admiring how soft it was before he took off. My heart raced against my chest, and the timer seemed to be following us.

Blake’s ears went back, and I could tell that even he was both nervous and worried, but he didn’t bother stopping. The ground behind us shook, and I frowned, noticing that the bridge that I formed was breaking the second we stepped off of it.

Noticing that, Blake growled before speeding. The heat around us rose, and I knew that the lava was melting the stones as we got closer to the end of the path.

Two more minutes.

The timer beeped, and I could feel Blake’s wolf growing stronger with each step. It showed me now why he was the Alpha of the pack. He truly was stronger than any other wolf that we have encountered, and the more he needed to prove it, the more he seemed to be willing to fight.

He ran as fast as he could, and feeling his body heating under me, I had water dripping on his fur through my finger, helping him cool down. He purred at the gesture and kept his pace, running as if our lives depended on it.

Technically, it did.

The door was two steps away and we had ten seconds left.

The audience started screaming.

Others joined the countdown.

And it wasn’t until the clock hit two that Blake and I managed to cross the barrier, his body forcing him to shift back to human before he could stop himself.

My heart raced against my ribcage, and processing the fact that he was naked, I rushed with his clothes and covered him with them, watching as he looked up at me with wide eyes as he heaved with each breath that he took.

Our eyes met and I nodded, giving him a gentle smile as we saw the lava behind us eat everything and everyone who didn’t cross, their screams filling our ears as their bodies burned them before they disappeared into the abyss.

“We made it,” Blake said, and I smiled, leaning my forehead against his.

“One more round, my love.” I whispered, taking a deep breath. “We are almost there..”